The Pied Piper of Hamelin

An allegory is a moral story told in the perspective of children or animals, so that its moral lesson is more palatable to the listener. In this allegorical story of the Pied Piper, who do you think is the more dangerous leader, the mayor--who baited and switched in deceiving the Piper--or the Piper--who exacts his vengeance when his reward is denied?

Allusions to Greek Mythology

Herculean task: a monumental task
Sisyphus: a man condemned to a futile, punishing routine
Odyssey: a long journey
between Scylla and Charybdis: "between a rock and a hard place" in mythological proportions
a Trojan horse: a decoy or trap 
one's Achilles heel: a small, but fatal, flaw
the Midas touch: King Midas soon found out his golden touch was a curse disguised as blessing
Narcissist: a "swellhead"
​

Literary writers seek to convey VERISIMILITUDE to help their readers visualize the specific, intended idea of the writing. As you can guess, VERI-SIMILITUDE means a true likeness--true  similarity between what the writer means and what the reader is familiar with. 
Similes, metaphors, and analogies are all literary devices that use comparison between the one that writer wants to describe and the other that the reader is familiar with. If you say "my kid sister was strutting like Marilyn Monroe," this SIMILE will conjure up in my mind an image of your younger sister--even though I may not have the pleasure of meeting her yet--who itches to grow up quick. In this next sentence--"My sister wants to be the new Marilyn Monroe"--"the new Marilyn Monroe" metaphorically pictures a young girl who fantasizes becoming famous for her sensual beauty. 

An allusion is a historical, literary, or cultural reference to a better-known person, a place, or event. You would want to be familiar with history, literature (including Greek myth and the Bible), arts, and culture. 

Mythological Allusions: 
Achilles heel: In Greek mythology, the warrior Achilles was made invulnerable as a baby by being dipped into the River Styx. Only his heel—the place he was held by when being dipped—was left unprotected, which led to his downfall when it was struck by an arrow. An Achilles heel refers to a person's vulnerability or fatal flaw. 
“He was a shrewd business man and investor, but his Achilles heel was gambling.”

Argus-eyed: Since Argus had 100 eyes, Goddess Juno had him spy on her wayward husband, Zeus. Argus-eyed refers to jealous watchfulness. 
“Why so Argus-eyed, my love?” cried Bill. “I swear I've been at the office this whole time!”

Bacchanalian: Bacchanalia was a Roman festival in honor of Bacchus, the god of wine (called Dionysus in Greek mythology). The holiday was eventually banned due to drunken and libertine excess. Something described as Bacchanalian is similarly decadent and uninhibited. 
What started out as a genteel and subdued dinner party degenerated into Bacchanalian abandon as the hours wore on.

Cupid: Cupid, or Amor, was the Roman god of love, who was also called Eros by the Greeks. He was usually depicted as a young winged boy with a bow and arrow. To play Cupid is to be a matchmaker, while someone who suddenly falls in love is said to have been struck by Cupid's arrow.
Diane knew Sam had asked her not to get involved in his personal life, but she couldn't resist the urge to play Cupid and set him up with Rebecca.

Gordian knot: King Gordius tied a wagon to a column with an extremely complex and intricate knot, which many tried and failed to undo. An oracle declared that whoever could untie the knot would rule the world. With a single stroke of his sword, Alexander the Great cut the knot in two, and went on to rule Asia. A Gordian knot is an intractable problem, and to cut the Gordian knot is to resolve a difficult problem with swift and bold action. 
The president believed he could cut through the Gordian knot of growing civil unrest by sending in the national guard with tear gas.

Herculean: Hercules was renowned for his strength and courage. He is best known for completing his 12 labors, which included killing or capturing legendary creatures, gaining various items, and diverting a river to clean out the stables of Augeas. A Herculean feat is one very hard to perform, especially one requiring great strength. 
With a Herculean effort, Jean Valjean lifted the cart off the man trapped underneath.

Nemesis: Nemesis was a Greek goddess of retribution, the incarnation of the gods' revenge for violating their laws. As the gods' retribution could not be avoided, a nemesis is not only an agent of punishment, but any challenge or opponent that a person is unable to defeat. 
He used all his willpower to stay on the diet, but the doughnut shop next door proved to be his nemesis.

Pandora's box: Pandora was the first woman on earth. Created by Zeus in revenge for Prometheus's stealing of fire, she was given a box that she was told not to open. Either she or her husband Epimetheus opened the box, allowing all evils to escape and plague the world. A Pandora's box is anything that, upon investigation, leads to extensive and unexpected troubles. 
The investigation of drug use among the athletes opened a Pandora's Box implicating half the league.

Promethean: Prometheus defied Zeus, stealing fire from the heavens and giving it to the human race. His name has become associated with bold originality and creativity. 
Although religious authorities and moralists objected to the new procedure, the Promethean scientists would not be denied.

Protean: Proteus was a Greek god who had the ability to change his shape. Someone or something that easily adapts to changing situations or roles by changing itself is described as protean. 
The senator's protean policies always mirrored the whims of his electorate.

Biblical Allusions:
Antedeluvian: Antedeluvian is Latin for “before the flood,” referring to the flood Noah rode out in Genesis. Something very old or outdated is sometimes exaggeratedly called antedeluvian. 
The professor's antedeluvian beliefs made him ill-suited for classroom teaching.

Goliath: Goliath was a giant warrior—more than nine feet tall—who was slain by David in I Samuel. 
Small bookstores can't compete against national chain goliaths.

Good Samaritan: The Book of Luke recounts the parable of the Good Samaritan, in which a man is attacked by thieves and left at the side of the road. A passing Samaritan binds his wounds, takes him to an inn, and cares for him. A good Samaritan now refers to anyone who freely helps others in their time of need. 
If not for the good Samaritan who jump-started her car, she might still be stuck on the side of the Interstate.

Job's comforters: Job was tested with a series of misfortunes. At several points, friends came to “comfort” Job by claiming that his travails were the just consequences of his sins, and that it was therefore unseemly to complain about them. A Job's comforter has come to mean a person who tries to console another but instead has the opposite effect. 
The Job's comforters told him it was just as well he wasn't invited to the party; he didn't make nearly enough money to interest any of the women there.

Jonah: Jonah was a prophet who defied God's command to deliver a warning to the city of Nineveh, instead fleeing on a ship to Tarshish. A storm was sent to punish him, and would not relent—imperiling everyone on the ship—until Jonah was thrown off. A person or thing that brings bad luck is called a Jonah. 
I'm not going to carpool with that Jonah. Every vehicle she gets into ends up in an accident.

Judas: Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus Christ, identifying him to soldiers by giving him a kiss, the so-called “kiss of death.” Somebody who betrays their friend is called a Judas. 
I'm not going to leave that Judas alone with my boss while we're competing for the same promotion.

Killing the fatted calf: The prodigal son's father calls for a fatted calf to be killed for the welcoming feast. Killing the fatted calf is now used as an expression for sparing no expense on a celebration. 
He killed the fatted calf for the lavish anniversary party.

Prodigal son: The Book of Luke recounts the parable of the prodigal son, in which a son leaves home to fritter away his money on a hedonistic lifestyle, only to end up destitute. The son crawls home, filled with shame and remorse, upon which his father welcomes him with open arms. Somebody who leaves home to lead a dissolute life and regretfully returns home is called a prodigal son. 
After abandoning football for a semester of drunken frat parties, Northwestern's prodigal son Rick Hammond came back to lead the team to victory in the playoffs.

Thirty pieces of silver: Judas was paid thirty pieces of silver for betraying Jesus. Payment for any treacherous act is now referred to as “thirty pieces of silver,” or “blood money.”
Jim got a generous package of stock options for helping depose his partner as CEO, but the thirty pieces of silver didn't keep his conscience from gnawing at him.

An example of a literary allusion:
The first is a soliloquy delivered by Macbeth (the titular character in William Shakespeare's Macbeth); the second is a poem by Robert Frost, who pays his homage to Shakespeare by alluding to the earlier, better-known literary piece that has inspired his poetic vision.

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
(Macbeth 5. 5. 19-28) 
                                           “Out, Out—“ 
The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard
And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood,
Sweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across it.
And from there those that lifted eyes could count
Five mountain ranges one behind the other
Under the sunset far into Vermont.
And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled,
As it ran light, or had to bear a load.
And nothing happened: day was all but done.
Call it a day, I wish they might have said
To please the boy by giving him the half hour
That a boy counts so much when saved from work.
His sister stood beside him in her apron
To tell them ‘Supper.’ At the word, the saw,
As if to prove saws knew what supper meant,
Leaped out at the boy’s hand, or seemed to leap--
He must have given the hand. However it was,
Neither refused the meeting. But the hand!
The boy’s first outcry was a rueful laugh,
As he swung toward them holding up the hand
Half in appeal, but half as if to keep
The life from spilling. Then the boy saw all--
Since he was old enough to know, big boy
Doing a man’s work, though a child at heart--
He saw all spoiled. ‘Don’t let him cut my hand off--
The doctor, when he comes. Don’t let him, sister!’
So. But the hand was gone already.
The doctor put him in the dark of ether.
He lay and puffed his lips out with his breath.
And then—the watcher at his pulse took fright.
No one believed. They listened at his heart.
Little—less—nothing!—and that ended it.
No more to build on there. And they, since they
Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs.
(Robert Frost)


BEWARE: 
• Allusion: a historical, literary, or cultural reference to a better-known person, a place, or event
• Illusion: pipe dream or fantasy (illusive; illusionist)
• Elusion: the act of avoiding capture (elude; elusive; eluding)